Shattering the HPV Stigma
- HPV causes more than 70% of cervical cancer cases, and Eve McDavid was in that majority.
- She was 35 weeks pregnant when her doctor said what no one wants to hear: you have cervical cancer.
- She’s now advocating for increased vaccinations and screenings, as well as breaking the HPV stigma. Her diagnosis gave way to her purpose of being a woman's-health advocate, using her voice to destigmatize and modernize cervical health care.
"What should have been the last exciting weeks of my pregnancy turned into panic as we made plans to deliver our son and also save my life," she writes in a deeply personal essay about her diagnosis published on Insider. That’s why she’s now advocating for increased vaccinations and screenings, as well as breaking the HPV stigma. (Human papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted disease.)
Read MoreCervical cancer is a type of gynecologic cancer that's typically detected through a routine Pap smear; during this test, your doctor will collect a sample of cells from your cervix (using a small brush or spatula). The cells are then examined under a microscope for abnormalities, including cancer and changes that could indicate pre-cancer.
In McDavid's case, her Pap smear was "irregular." She writes that her "stomach dropped" when her doctor pulled out the swab dripping with blood. Follow-up tests confirmed her doctor's worries there was a rapidly growing 7-centimeter tumor in her womb, where her son was also growing.
McDavid needed to have an emergency C-section to deliver her unborn son, followed by rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Following his birth, McDavid "swiftly" began treatment. And thankfully, she entered remission and remains cancer-free today. But her experience has inspired her to share her story in order to break the stigma surrounding HPV and HPV-related cancers. She's even joined the World Health Organization's fight to eradicate cervical cancer by 2030 and is collaborating with Weill Cornell Medicine to redesign treatment devices to improve women's care, access and outcomes.
"Cervical-cancer eradication is possible through vaccination and screening," McDavid writes, "and it requires elevating women's health from whisper networks into a public dialogue where women and families seek out the HPV vaccine, understand risk factors, and create screening and prevention plans with providers."
Shattering the Stigma
HPV is the most common sexually-transmitted infection. In fact, it's so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get the virus at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 79 million Americans have HPV.
"The vast majority of humans in the U.S., both men and women, will eventually get infected with human papillomavirus," Dr. Allen Ho, director of the Head and Neck Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet. "The important thing to know about HPV is that there are many different strains, and only a couple of them tend to be more cancer inducing. Probably less than 1 percent of the population who get infected happen to have the cancer-causing virus that, somehow, their immune system fails to clear." And that's why you should get vaccinated against HPV, SurvivorNet experts say.
However, there's still an immense amount of stigma surrounding the virus, as well as shame for those who receive a diagnosis something McDavid can attest to. "At 35 weeks pregnant, I felt shame that threatened my survival," she writes.
"HPV is transmitted by sexual contact. It's embarrassing. Not the topic of polite cocktail chatter," Fox Business anchor and breast cancer survivor Gerri Willis wrote last year in an essay about having a hysterectomy for precancerous cells found in her cervix, which she says were caused by HPV. "I didn't want (my Fox family) to think less of me. But the truth is, HPV is worth talking about simply because it is ignored."
"Fear of the virus sometimes makes us reluctant to get the facts," she adds. "That was me. I knew nothing beyond the ads I saw on television. What I have learned since is that HPV can lay dormant for decades. And, then, when you least expect it, unmask itself. That's what happened to me." It happened to McDavid, too.
But eventually, McDavid says that her shame evaporated, and gave way to her purpose of being a woman's-health advocate, "using my voice to destigmatize and modernize cervical-health care. I'll pray I'll be considered cured, a (rare) distinction of cervical cancer, as my daughter sits for her first HPV vaccine."
The Importance of the HPV Vaccine
Cervical cancer is unique in that it's usually preventable with the HPV vaccine. The vaccine is typically given to children before they're sexually active, as HPV is transmitted through sexual contact.
Why the HPV Vaccine is so Important in Preventing Cancer
"We recommend strongly that children are vaccinated against HPV to prevent cervical cancer, but also to prevent head and neck cancer," Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist specializing in head and neck cancer at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet.
"Now the key with the vaccine is that you received the vaccine before you ever reach sexual debut or have sexual encounters. So that's why these vaccines are approved for young children ages 9, 10, 11 years old, up to 26."
Contrary to some detrimental misinformation circulated online, the HPV vaccine is entirely safe. There are virtually no side effects with this vaccine, Dr. Jonathan Berek, director of the Women's Cancer Center at Stanford Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.
"It's incredibly safe. It's as safe as any vaccine has ever been."
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.